Firefighters continue making headway in containing the Kobe Fire burning about 10 miles south of the community of Anderson just west of the Parks Highway near Mile 275.
The latest estimate puts the fire at 896 acres, a reduction of about 150 acres as a result of more accurate mapping. The fire is 40 percent contained as of Sunday morning, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry.
There are still 165 personnel working to contain the fire, including five crews, eight engines and four bulldozers.
The Kobe Fire started July 11 and grew rapidly, forcing the evacuation of two remote subdivisions in the Kobe Agricultural Project. Rain moved in and calmed fire behavior the next two days and firefighters have been working to contain the fire for the past 10 days.
Strong, gusty winds on Saturday prompted concern about fire-weakened trees blowing over and firefighters were pulled off the fireline in the early afternoon for safety reasons. Winds were expected to diminish today and firefighters will return to the line to continue mopping up and searching out any remaining hot spots.
Heavy equipment is being used to address some areas of heat that remain in berm piles that were pushed up during previous land clearing operations and were burned over in the fire.
The “Level 1:Ready” evacuation notice for residents in the Kobe Ag and Anderson subdivisions were lifted on Saturday and there are currently no other evacuation notices
The fire was human caused but the specific cause remains under investigation.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 